Integral diagnostics of electric and radio items from nonlinearity effects (survey)

The paper describes methods of integral testing of electric and radio items by using the effects of nonlinearities in active media of the objects. The potential is estimated of direct and indirect methods for determining the nonlinearity of functional characteristics as phenomenological parameters (features) which represent the technical state of the object. Examples are shown in which the items are diagnosed from nonlinearities of functional characteristics in determining latent defects of objects and detection of forerunners of failures. The possibility of using the integral diagnositcs from nonlinearity effects in quality control systems is considered.